close to the bone
Very close to the truth in a hurtful way. Of course I'm mad—Dad's remarks about how I'm wasting my life were close to the bone. A: "What's wrong with Matt?" B: "He's very self-conscious of his hair, or lack thereof, so when you started teasing him, it was likely close to the bone." Ouch, that comment was a little close to the bone, don't you think?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
close to the bone
If a remark or piece of writing is
close to the bone, it is about things that are true but which make people uncomfortable or offended.
Penny said `Let's talk about Christina.' But for Buck, this was getting dangerously close to the bone. This isn't strictly satire, it's far too close to the bone to be funny. Note: You can also say that a remark or a piece of writing is
near to the bone.
`We'd better end here because this is getting...' She did not finish the sentence, but I guess she was going to say `too near to the bone'. Compare with
near the knuckle.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
close to (or near) the bone
1 (of a remark) penetrating and accurate to the point of causing hurt or discomfort. 2 (of a joke or story) likely to cause offence because near the limit of decency.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
close to/near the ˈbone
(informal) likely to offend or upset somebody because, for example, a remark contains elements of truth: Some of the things she said to him about his failure to find work were a bit close to the bone.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017